This is an ongoing archive and blog of reviews and commentary by W.L. Swarts!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Ending The Series On A High Note: The 2012 Matinee Fashion Barbie Ornament Is Worthwhile!

The Good: Good sculpt, Good detailing, Good balanceThe Bad: Seems expensive, Obvious seamsThe Basics: The final nostalgic Barbie ornament, the 2012 Hallmark Keepsake Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament is a fitting end to the line.

I am not sure that I would have ever started reviewing the Barbie Hallmark ornaments, were it not for my wife getting one as a gift. But, now that I have started reviewing them, it seems fitting to me that I find myself reviewing the final one in the Barbie nostalgia ornament series. That is this year’s Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament and it actually is a worthwhile ornament, though its seams do make the consumer feel like the ornament might have more flexibility and articulation than it actually does!

Basics

The Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament recreates the Matinee Fashion Barbie doll with Barbie in a stylish red and fur-trimmed jacket and skirt. The ornament features the recognizable visage of Barbie as a brunette wearing an outfit that looks like it is professional class wear from the 1960’s. The ornament has Barbie wearing the dignified, retro outfit with a matching, boxy hat, posed on a black disc-style stand. This Barbie ornament is 4 1/2" tall by 1 1/2" wide and 1 1/8” deep and is made entirely of hard plastic, save the cloth scarf that sits atop the molded plastic that represents the fur collar.

The detailing on the Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament is excellent, though it is a very simple outfit and sculpt. Barbie’s eyes, shoe detailing and the pattern on her outfit are all incredibly detailed. The brown and black fur trim is nicely detailed and gives the ornament a sense of depth that many of the Barbie ornaments lack.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Matinee Fashion Barbie could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. I think it's disappointing that Matinee Fashion Barbie does not have any articulation to her limbs. It was well within the abilities of Hallmark to make the ornament articulated at least at the shoulders or neck, but Hallmark does not articulate them. In the case of the Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament, the deep seams at the shoulders imply articulation that is not present in the ornament and that adds to the disappointment in the missing function.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Barbie Christmas Tree, the Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament is a great addition. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top of the character's hat. From there, one hangs the ornament and this Barbie ornament is wonderfully balanced!

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have branched out into every major franchise from Barbie to Gone With The Wind to Twilight. The Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament is not selling out yet, but because it is one of the more mass-produced ornaments, one suspects Hallmark produced it in decent supply and that is might not be a great investment piece, at least not right away. The Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament was released with an original issue price of $17.95 and that is a bit pricy, despite the quality. Given that this is the final in the series – number 19 – the Matinee Fashion Barbie is likely to be sought by collectors and those who want complete sets, making it a better investment piece of the general release Barbie ornaments.

Overview

Fans of the Barbie franchise are likely to find the Matinee Fashion Barbie ornament to be a worthwhile Barbie ornament for their collections.